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Teens' use of tanning beds in the 1990s has resulted in rising rates of melanoma among young women, according to dermatologist Darrell S. Rigel, a past president of ASDS. Researchers have reported "especially rapid" increases in melanoma among young white women. "All the melanoma I see in women in their 20s and 30s, virtually every one of them has gone to a tanning salon, and we're seeing a lot more," Rigel said.

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A US firm has invented a champagne bong that turns a conventional flute stem into an open-ended pipe that is "used for the rapid" consumption of sparkling wine, according to the creators of Chambong. The device was born from an attempt to create a "super" bong for smoking marijuana, but its failed design turned out to be the ideal wine shooter. It reportedly retailed for $25 and sold out shortly after it launched.

Advocates hope a Springfield, Ill., ban on indoor tanning for anyone younger than 18 will encourage legislators to pass a statewide ban. Illinois bans indoor tanning for anyone younger than 14 and requires parental permission for teens ages 14 to 18. "For years, minors with parental permission have been allowed to visit tanning salons, and research shows that the incidence of melanoma has increased," said dermatologist Judith Knox.

Scientists sequencing 25 human metastatic melanomas found a link between melanoma and breast cancer, as well as a link between mutation rate and ultraviolet light exposure. The PREX2 gene, which is also found in some breast cancers, initiates cancerous activity when genetic mutations affect cell functions, the researchers report in the journal Nature. The findings may lead to new drug targets, said Darrell Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center.

Staff at 90% of the 300 salons contacted as part of a House committee investigation told women posing as teens that indoor tanning poses no health risks and does not increase the risk of skin cancer, and more than 75% said indoor tanning is beneficial to teens' health. Significant increases in melanoma rates over the last decade correspond with increases in teens' use of tanning beds, said ASDS past president Dr. Darrell Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center.

White women ages 15 to 39 in California who lived in neighborhoods with the highest socioeconomic status and most ultraviolet light exposure had 73% more melanoma diagnoses than counterparts in poorer neighborhoods with high UV exposure, according to a study in the Archives of Dermatology. One expert said sun protection needs to begin in childhood, when skin is more vulnerable, but that many teens resist messages warning against tanning.